Safety cut-out for series of electric lamps



(No Model.)

C. J. VAN DEPOELE.

. SAFETY GUT-OUT EOE SERIES OE ELECTRIC LAMPS. No. 291,652. Patented Jan.. 8. 1884.

M? A (M25.

CHARL CS J. VAX DEIOFLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SAFETY CUT-OUT FOR SERIES OF ELECTRiC LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,65

dated January '8, 1834.

Application filed April 3,1353. (Xo model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. VAN Dn- PonLE, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Cut-Outs for Series of Electric Lamps 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful automatic switch device to be applied to electric-arc lamps, and the invention consists in an arrangement of parts so disposed and connected as to automatically switch a lampin a series either out of or into circuit, as the case may be, without interfering with the other lamps in said circuit.

The following is a description of the device, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification.

In t-he accompanying drawings, Figure l exhibits a front view of an electric lamp to which the device is attached; and Fig. 2 is a detail view, showin g the shunt-magnet and vib'rati n g mechanism in side elevation.

A and A are the two opposite poles ol" an I armature oscillating at its center, working the feed ofthe lamp, and it is acted upon oppositely by the magnetism in the main electromagnet B and the shunt-magnet C.

D is a contact-piece mounted rigidly on one end of the oscillating armature A and A, intended to make or break contact with the metallic conduct-or F at the point E.

F is a contact-spring attached or connected to the screw G, which is a screw insulated from the rest ofthe frame, but electrically connected with the conductor H, which is a Germansilver wire or sheet bent or coiled up, as shown. This conductor H is connected to the negative binding-post N at I.

rFhe current in the different parts will circulate as follows: As will be seen at the negative binding-post, two direct ways are provided for the current, and there is also a third outlet, which is by way of t-he coils of the shunt-magnet C and connecting-wiresN J. In the first circuit the positive bindingpost I is in metallic contact with the plate M2 and so with all the metallic parts of the lamp not insulated from said plate. To insure a good contact with said plate M and other parts, a brush, t, is caused to press upon the carboncarrying rod Q. The binding-post N well insulated from the plate 3F, and so is the coil of the magnet I, insulated from anvl metallic parts ot' the lamp, which are positive. rihe screw Ii affords communication with the lower carbon. The screw (t is also well insulated from the rest of the parts, except the parts F and H. On establishing the circuitwith some source of electricity, the current will enter at I), and through the plate ML and brush R to the top rod, Q, and, in fact, to all parts of the lamp not insulated from the plate M, so that the brass ends of the magnets B' and C and also the armature A A are all positive. The current now passes from the top carbon down to the bottom carbon, and by suitable conductor, L, which is connected at M, the current passes thence to the insulated screw Ii. rIhen by a suitable conductor it is carried into the magnet B at J2, and around its magnetic coils, and passes out at J, thence bythe conductor .I to the negative binding-post, completing the lamp or working circuit. This circuit can only be :ompleted whenever the top and bottom carbons are in contact, or when the arc exists between them. In this case the electro-magnet I3 will work the lamp as long as the current is passing this wav.

The second circuit is completed as follows: Vhen there is no current passing through the magnet I3, the parts D and F are in contact with the positive pole by the plate ML', ttc., so that the current passes from F to G, to H, and from H to the negative binding-post at I, thus completing this circuit, so that the current from the positive pole can reach the negative either direct through the conductor H ,through the carbon or working circuit', or through the coils of the shunt-magnet C and wiresN J. The shunt-magnet C is provided with a vibrating circuit-breaker, Y, included in the circuit of the said magnet C, which operates to render the current passing therethrough pulsatory. The wires I and N are connected from the terminals of the magnet C and vibrator V, respectively, to the frame ot' thelamp, which is positive, and to the lai-,ege wire J, which is negative.

Let us now consider the lamp and its connections at rest, with carbons in contact. On measuring the resistance between the two poles P and N, we will find, say, four-tenths (0.40) of an ohm. Kew, it' we lift up the carbons from contact, and the circuit is still IOO complete through the conductor H, the re- I plete circuitsone through the carbons and sistance of the latter is, say, one ohm. It is a well-known law that the current will follow the easiest path. So in this case we let the carbons come in contact again, and knowing the carbon circuit in which is located the electro-magnet B is less resistant than the circuit through the conductor H, it is easily understood that on establishing the circuit the electro-magnet B will become active and attract one end of the armatureA to the center of its core, and in so doing will first break contact at E, so as to prevent the formation of an are at that point, and the next instant at the junction where the two carbons meet, producing the arc, thus only allowing the current to pass through the carbon or working circuit, the auxiliary circuit through H being broken at E, as described. This will continue as long as the lamp feeds all right. However, if the current is interrupted or broken between the two carbons, the electro-magnet B will allow the armature to respond to the action of the spring S, and thus bring D and F into contact at E when the circuit in the lamp will be coinpleted through H, which, being of capacity equal, or substantially so, to that of the main line, will carry the current, and thus span the defective lamp without affecting the remainder of the series. As soon as the carbons are brought in contact again, the current will pass through the electro-magnet B, and, oscillating the armature A A, will break contact at E,

vand next at the carbon points, re-establishing the light. The system can be made to operate in a series of lamps, and will cut out the defective lamp without first putting out the Others. Thus, if any particular lamp in which the device is placed fail to feed, an are would be formed which would eventually put out all the lamps in the circuit; but before this happens the electro-magnet B grows weaker and C stronger, which naturally allows the armature A A to respond to the spring S, thus bringing D and F together at E. The current then passes through H to the negative binding-post, thus completing the circuit without putting out the other lamps. This will continue until the defective lamp has been made to feed properly, when the current will be again diverted from H and pass through the carbon circuit, as above described.

In starting up a number of lamps in series it happens that some carbons do not come in contact, or that some non-condueting material is interposed between the carbon points, and it thus becomes impossible to start up the lamps. It happens then that the fine-wire magnets of said lamp,being the only conductors in circuit, are burned up in a flash, which the above-described device will entirely prevent, since when the carbon circuit is not closed the auxiliary circuit is closed, and remains so until the carbons are brought in contact.

W'hat I claim as new isl. An electric-arc lamp having three conielectro-magnetie devices for separating the same, another through an auxiliary conductor, and a third through a shunt-magnet located in a derivation between the poles of the lamp-and means for cutting out of circuit the auxiliary conductor when the lamp at starting has its carbons in contact, as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric-arc lamp, an auxiliary or by-pass circuit closed upon the main line when no current is passing through the carbons, suitable carbon feeding devices, and connections whereby the auxiliary circuit is opened by the passage ofthe current through said carbons and their separating electro-magnets, as above described.

8. In an electric-arc lamp, ahy-pass orauxiliary circuit of capacity equal to that of the main line, and always closed upon said main line when the lamp is started, and means, substantially as described, whereby the same is adapted to remain closed in case the carbons fail to feed, substantially as set forth.

4. An electric-arc lamp having three channels for the current to pass, one being through the carbons and their electromagnetic devices, another through a shunt of high resistance around the are, and the other a by-pass or auxiliary circuit having a resistance somewhat higher than that of the carbons and working-circuit of said lamp when said carbons are in contact, and an arm or contact-point connected to the armature of said feeding devices, and adapted to complete the auxiliary circuit when no current is passing through the lamp, so that on completing the circuit through all the channels,if the carbons are in contact, the current will in preference pass through the electro-magnetic feeding devices of the lamp, and by moving the armature cut out the bypass, and then separate the carbons to produce the are, as and for the purpose set forth.'

5. In an electric-arc lamp, and in combination with the armature operating the mechanism thereof, a contact-piece, D, rigidly attached to said armature, and adapted to follow the motion of the same, a spring, F, and an auxiliary resistance-coil, H, so arranged that when the lamp is not receiving current said contact-piece D will abut against the spring F and complete a short circuit between the positive and negative poles of the lamp through the conductor H, said conductor being of a resistance somewhat higher than the feeding mechanism and electro-magnets of the lamp when the latter circuits are completed through the carbons, whereby sufficient current is directed to said electro-magnets to operate the armature A A, thereby breaking contact between D and F before the carbons are separated, as set forth.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE.

Witnesses NORMAN T. Gxssn'rrn, THEO. P. BAILEY.

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